{"id":927,"date":"2026-06-07T17:29:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T15:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/item\/aletschgletscher\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T11:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:04:10","slug":"aletschgletscher","status":"publish","type":"citadela-item","link":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/item\/aletschgletscher\/","title":{"rendered":"Aletschgletscher"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-size:1.15em;line-height:1.6;color:#3a352f;\">The Great Aletsch Glacier is, at around 20 km long, the longest and largest glacier in the Alps and the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. From the Aletsch Forest and the viewpoints Eggishorn, Bettmerhorn and Moosfluh you look out over the mighty stream of ice, fed by the firn fields of the Jungfrau region. Like all Alpine glaciers, it is retreating markedly as a result of warming.<\/p>\n<h2>Highlights<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Panoramic view from the Eggishorn (2,869 m) over the entire stream of ice<\/li>\n<li>Aletsch Forest with centuries-old Arolla pines<\/li>\n<li>The Moosfluh viewpoint and the car-free villages of the Aletsch Arena<\/li>\n<li>Guided glacier walks with a mountain guide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Good to know<\/h2>\n<table class=\"at-vergleich\" style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:14px;\">\n<tr style=\"background:#ffffff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;width:34%;font-weight:600;\">Length<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;\">around 20 km (longest glacier in the Alps)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fafaf8;\">\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;width:34%;font-weight:600;\">World Heritage<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;\">UNESCO Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (since 2001)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#ffffff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;width:34%;font-weight:600;\">Viewpoint mountains<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;\">Eggishorn, Bettmerhorn, Moosfluh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fafaf8;\">\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;width:34%;font-weight:600;\">Starting points<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:8px;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;\">Riederalp, Bettmeralp, Fiescheralp (car-free)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Practical info<\/h2>\n<div style=\"background:#f3f1ec;border:1px solid #e3e0d8;border-radius:10px;padding:18px 20px;\">\n<p style=\"margin:6px 0;line-height:1.55;\"><strong style=\"color:#f25353;\">Getting there:<\/strong> By train into the Rh\u00f4ne valley (M\u00f6rel\/Betten\/Fiesch), then cable cars up to the car-free high terraces.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:6px 0;line-height:1.55;\"><strong style=\"color:#f25353;\">Best time:<\/strong> Hiking and views June to October; winter sports December to April.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:6px 0;line-height:1.55;\"><strong style=\"color:#f25353;\">Cost:<\/strong> Cable cars payable (please verify); hiking trails free.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:6px 0;line-height:1.55;\"><strong style=\"color:#f25353;\">Safety:<\/strong> Stepping onto the glacier is only safe with equipment and a guide (crevasse-fall risk). The views and high trails are unproblematic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:12px 0 4px;\"><strong style=\"color:#f25353;\">Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-top:0;\">\n<li>The high trail from Riederalp to Bettmeralp offers hours of glacier views<\/li>\n<li>Choose clear, sunny days, the stream of ice is then most impressive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Background &amp; History<\/h2>\n<p>The Great Aletsch Glacier is the mightiest ice stream of the Alps, a good twenty kilometres long ribbon of firn and ice that flows down from the high-Alpine region around the Jungfrau, M\u00f6nch and Eiger. At the famous Konkordiaplatz several firn fields unite into a mighty stream, whose ice at this point is several hundred metres thick and whose slow movement over the millennia has gouged out the valleys. Since 2001 the region, as part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage, has belonged to the natural heritage of UNESCO, recognised as an outstanding example of Alpine glaciation and of the forces that shape the high mountains.<\/p>\n<p>At the edge of the ice grows the Aletsch Forest, an ancient stand of Swiss stone pines and larches, whose gnarled trees rank among the oldest in Switzerland and which is preserved today as a nature reserve. From the surrounding viewpoint mountains such as the Eggishorn or the Bettmerhorn one overlooks the entire course of the glacier, and with a little luck the reintroduced bearded vulture circles high above. At the same time the Aletsch Glacier is a striking testimony to change: old markers, maps and photographs show how far the tongue of ice has retreated in recent decades. Thus this place is today both a natural wonder and a warning sign of climate change.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#221c1a;color:#fff;border-radius:10px;padding:18px 22px;margin-top:28px;\"><strong style=\"font-size:1.08em;\">Related<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:6px 0 12px;color:#d8d2cc;font-size:14px;\">To make your trip run smoothly , our guides and gear tips for this destination:<\/p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:10px;\"><a href=\"\/en\/wanderschuhe\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f25353;color:#fff;padding:9px 16px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;font-size:14px;\">Hiking boots \u2192<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/schichtenprinzip-bekleidung\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f25353;color:#fff;padding:9px 16px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;font-size:14px;\">Layering guide for clothing \u2192<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/packliste-tages-bergwanderung\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f25353;color:#fff;padding:9px 16px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;font-size:14px;\">Day-tour packing list \u2192<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/packliste-huettentour\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f25353;color:#fff;padding:9px 16px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;font-size:14px;\">Hut-tour packing list \u2192<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/huettenwandern-einsteiger\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f25353;color:#fff;padding:9px 16px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;font-size:14px;\">Hut hiking for beginners \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Der Gro\u00dfe Aletschgletscher ist mit rund 20 km L\u00e4nge der l\u00e4ngste und gr\u00f6\u00dfte Gletscher der Alpen und das Herz des UNESCO-Welterbes Schweizer Alpen Jungfrau-Aletsch. Vom Aletschwald und den Aussichtsbergen Eggishorn, Bettmerhorn und Moosfluh blickt man auf den gewaltigen Eisstrom, der sich aus den Firnfeldern der Jungfrau-Region speist. Wie alle Alpengletscher zieht er sich infolge der [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":955,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","citadela-item-category":[39,40,30],"citadela-item-location":[64],"class_list":["post-927","citadela-item","type-citadela-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","citadela-item-category-ausflugsziele-sehenswuerdigkeiten","citadela-item-category-gipfel-berge","citadela-item-category-wandern-bergtouren","citadela-item-location-wallis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item\/927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/citadela-item"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item\/927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1457,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item\/927\/revisions\/1457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"citadela-item-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item-category?post=927"},{"taxonomy":"citadela-item-location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpentreff.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/citadela-item-location?post=927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}